Operation Riptide
by Buddy1234
Summary: The Aquanauts get a bigger surprise than they'd hoped for in a USO cleanup mission.


"Alright you Grunts, get ready to land, this mission is more than a standard drop off and clear like all the other USO cleanup missions, were on our way to clean up what's left of what was said to be a new USO design. This design is said to be completely new, so it seems our enemy is also researching different technologies just as we are. From the size of the USO that our Fighter Subs downed, there should be a minimum of 4 hostiles present, that is if there are no casualties from the USO's previous engagement." The Corporal continued briefing the Aquanauts, who were clad in heavy Aqua-Plastic armor, a dense yet light material that could be worn over their diving suits. The Aquanauts were all inspecting their gear as their Interceptor sub blasted through the depths of the dark ocean.

"You may also notice that your ammunition for your Jet Harpoon Gun has been improved upon, no longer do they shoot regular Hollow Steel Harpoons, but they now fire Steel Harpoons with incendiary chemical powder filled tips. These will easily burn through any of the hostiles natural or artificial armor, friendly fire will more than likely result in a fatal wound, so let's not have that happen. You should also know that your side arm, the Dart gun, has been given explosive tips this time around, so it won't be completely useless for us."

Reaching its destination the sub slowed to a halt, setting down gently onto the sandy bottom of the Indian Ocean they downed the USO in. The Aquanauts all got ready, bolting shut their suit visors and cocking their Jet Harpoon guns, with their metallic blue suits shimmering in the yellow rotating light of the transport sub.

"Alright, let's do this smoothly," the Corporal shouted, lowering his scuba visor and bolting it shut like the rest of the Aquanaut Privates.

The sub began to decompress, showering their suits with cold water and causing the sound of the metallic pitter patter of rain to fill the transport. Eventually the compartment filled with water, and the sub doors slid open revealing a dark ocean floor with small remnants of light piercing miserably through.

In mere seconds the Aquanauts ran agilely through the water, tossing off chemical flares to light the perimeter around their sub.

"Area clear of hostiles, move in to strike Corporal?" one of the Privates leading the insertion asked.

"Not just yet Hanlen, not just yet..." the Corporal had a nervousness in his tone, feeling uneasy about the lack of any immediate hostiles and the dark conditions mixed with the calmness of their oceanic surroundings. The Corporal observed more of the surroundings, noticing leaking fluid off in the distance at least 75 meters through a large patch of Coral of rock and small twisting sand dunes.

"Corporal?" another Private asked, knowing that his team leader was beginning to lose his cool.

"Yes, yes, *ahem* we shall split into two teams, Hansen, Colp, and Yun, you'll be Alpha team. Me, Roderick, and Stinch will be Bravo team, we'll assault from each opposite flank. Hansen, set a couple proximity mines in front of those coral fields directly ahead of us! I'll be damned if I'm gonna let them go straight through and come around to flank us!"

Following orders, Hansen did as the Corporal commanded, setting two proximity mines in front of the coral field, afterwards, both teams separating and executing their former orders.

"Uh, Corporal, this is Alpha team, we've happened to run into a large drop off point along the east perimeter, we'll have to cut through, into the coral, from here."

"Damn it, ok fine, just make sure to check all your corners, I've been in coral fields quite similar to this one before, they never ended well, it's a maze inside them and it's easy to get turned around."

Bravo team continued advancing along the west upper edges of the coral outcrop that separated them from the downed USO, until Roderick spotted movement inside it.

"Sir, movement, east of our position, inside the coral field!"

"Stinch, get that portable Torpedo launcher ready, were about to blast us some baddies," the Corporal said malevolently. Stinch reached to his back, pulling apart the Torpedo Launcher from his magnetic pack and readied one Large Torpedo.

"Fire!" shouted the Corporal in a furious tone.

The Torpedo blasted from the yellow tube, launching directly to the spot where movement was seen, causing large red flashes of light to appear inside even larger air bubbles, destroying 200 square feet of coral.

Bits of charred coral floated by them and up towards the surface and large clouds of sand stormed the detonation site, but not a single body or remnant of a creature was seen after it all cleared.

"Hmm..." the Corporal said, again thinking of what to do, now that he'd given his teams position away. "Alright, we go in."

"Sir?" Roderick asked, looking up to him, lowering the Torpedo Launcher in a demoralized manner.

"I didn't want to do this either Roderick, but if we're going to kill these sons-a-bitches, we can't just clear coral, we're gonna have to go into close quarters. But before we do, let me check in with Alpha team," the Corporal said reassuringly. "Alpha team, come in, what is your current position..." no response. "Alpha team, please respond, we need an accurate detail on your location, over," still no response. "Ah shit, we've lost contact with Alpha team."

"Has, has that ever happened before, Sir?" asked Stinch.

"Only once...Only once..."

Bravo team cautiously approached the explosion site in an arrowhead formation, the Corporal leading them forward as the ominous outcrop began to loom over them more and more imposingly as they got closer.

Entering the coral field, they discovered a labyrinth of rock and bizarre sea-life, adding to the tenseness of the situation the Aquanaut squad found themselves in. Using Chemical Flares, they tracked their location, dropping one at every turn, as they were equipped each with about a dozen or so, creating a path of light to direct them back out of this dark, murky, cave-like maze.

Suddenly, what sounded what sounded like a rocket broke the silence. "Who's shooting?!" the Corporal shouted, jumping at the sudden outburst.

"Sorry sir, I thought I saw something move between one of the crevices," replied Stinch.

"Damn it! Just call your shots until I order you to open fire."

"Yes sir."

Deeper they walked into the field, becoming more nervous by the second from the lack of contact both from potential hostiles lurking within and Alpha team. The maze was beginning to fuse together into a dizzying blur of subdued pinks, greens, blues, and thick grey, morphing into an abysmal color scheme.

"Contact!" shouted the Corporal abruptly. The rest of the team focused their attention forwards, where the Corporal was looking, seeing no more than 15 feet ahead of them, the floating form of what could be none other than the body of one of their team mates from Alpha.

"Shit! Roderick, you're the acting medic, get the hell over there and see if he's alright, Stinch will cover us, I'll accompany you."

The Corporal and Roderick moved in closer to examine what remained of their fallen comrade. His body was mangled, his visor smashed in, gashes in his armor and diving suit with thick, deep cuts pierced through his body, causing a thick cloud of dark redness to surround his wounds and most of the area around him.

"Sir...This...This had to be from a Tasoth...The claw marks are identical."

"...Mother of god."

"We can handle them sir, right?"

"I...With these weapons, I don't know. The incendiary may do something, but the harpoons alone will have trouble.

"Oh god, sir, his gun," Roderick spotted the Alpha team members Jet Harpoon lying below him, snapped in half. "Sir, the clip...It's empty."

"Fuck, that's it, were getting back to that transport, we're far too unarmed for this kind of encounter. We 'would've' had Gauss weaponry, had another dive team not been out on a god damned terror mission."

Agreeing to head back to the transport, Roderick and the Corporal turned around, seeing a grisly sight and having shivers run up their spines. Before them was a 7 and a half foot tall Tasoth, an ugly beast, which looked like an overgrown underwater lizard that had a mouth full of a couple dozen curved razor teeth and a purple jagged fin running along its head and back. It ripped it's clawed hand from the lifted corpse of Stinch, whose body was limp. The corpse was slowly dropped to the ocean floor, the heavy Torpedo Launcher dragging him down.

"Open fire!" screamed the Corporal, and in an instant, they both lit the creature up with Harpoons whizzing through the water, cutting bubbly paths to the Tasoth whose torso was being riddled with large Harpoon rounds.

It stood there for a second, recoiling from dozen harpoons that had just barely penetrated through its scaly hide. As it looked up and was about to lunge, a bright yellow light begin to emanate from inside it.

"Hah, choke on that you fish-fucker, incendiary rounds!" the Corporal shouted triumphantly.

Letting forth a gurgling scream hardly noticeable to the Aquanauts underwater inside their heavy diving suits, it's chest began to soften and turn into jelly, causing fragments of its body to peel away and float off.

Roderick quickly reloaded his Jet Harpoon, firing another singular round into the very head of the massive beast, causing it to stand there in shock before more yellow light emanated from the wound in its skull and it slowly tipped over, floating to the floor.

The cheers of both the Aquanauts was short-lived as they stopped mid-cheer and noticed more clawed hands begin to poke out from the walls around them.

"Son of a bitch, Roderick, time a det. charge, were gonna blow these fuckers off the god damn map!"

Roderick pulled out a large, red explosive charge, timing it for 1 minute and planting it into the seabed. Firmly grabbing hold of his Jet Harpoon, he nodded to the Corporal, telling him it was set and now they had to run like hell.

Following the Chemical Flares they'd set before, the quickly maneuvered through the coral, running left and running, hearing the churning of water right behind them as they knew the Tasoth's were chasing them down relentlessly.

Finally they had reached the end of the coral, running out into open seabed. They didn't stop running though, not now, they continued up onto one of the dunes that over-looked the coral, where they had originally been positioned at. A wave of force knocked them to the ground, looking back and seeing a plume of bubbles and black sand twisting upwards as the det. pack exploded.

Relieved, they sat there for a moment, seeing the upper half of a Tasoth come flying towards them, landing a few feet away.

"Jesus, that was close."

"Heh, you have no idea Roderick."

Roderick began to stand, examining himself to see if any part of his suit was compromised, seeing that everything was in order. A claw reached up, slashing at Roderick, it was the upper-body of the Tasoth, still alive, slashing at roderick, cutting deeply into his leg, causing his blood to cloud his leg area.

The Corporal jumped to attention, aimed precisely and fired, a Harpoon penetrating deeply right into the Tasoth's muscular neck. A thick yellow burning ooze dripped out the bottom the Tasoth, obviously the activated incendiary chemical powder.

"Now, let's get back onto that transport Roderick."


End file.
